


A Long Way Oneshot

by Angelpuns



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, First Date, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Modern AU, Oneshot, Overwatch - Freeform, based on lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:08:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25397443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelpuns/pseuds/Angelpuns
Summary: Jesse Mcree still remembers their first date. He remembers the way their hands had just barely touched in the theater and his heart had nearly stopped. He knew from then on he'd never like someone as much as he liked Hanzo.Based on A Long Way by Luke Combs
Relationships: Genji Shimada/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	A Long Way Oneshot

**Author's Note:**

> I heard this song at work and got all up in my feelings so here we are.

Even through his whiskey-washed haze, Jesse could still remember the first time he had decided he liked Hanzo. The faces were blurry, but he remembered their voices so clearly. The laughter and the way the group had felt that night. 

He took a swig of whiskey and sat back, his head resting comfortably on the back of the couch as he recounted everything he could. just to have it all last a little longer. 

Jesse had become friends with Genji Shimada purely by chance. He, Gabe and Jack had needed a fourth for an online game, the usual girl they played with too busy with her new girlfriend. They were more upset that they were out a player than the fact that she had bailed on them, the three of them congratulating her and assuring her they could find someone else when she was busy. That was how they'd come across Genji. 

The four became fast friends and were soon meeting up after work for dinner and occasionally drinks. Jesse consistently drank the rest of them under the table, which finally prompted Genji to bring his brother Hanzo to one of their nightly gatherings. 

Jesse had thought him a simple, stern man at first. Pretty, but certainly too good for someone like Jesse. Besides, he probably wasn't looking for a relationship. Genji had made it abundantly clear that all his brother cared about was work. Jesse had simply scoffed when Hanzo suddenly claimed to be able to outdrink him, especially after hearing Genji go on about how his brother was only interested in work. He'd bet a crisp fifty that he could outdrink Hanzo. 

That night he lost both his dinner ( in the bar's disgusting bathroom) and his fifty dollars. It was certainly not a pretty sight. 

Hanzo joined them for dinner more and more often, occasionally replacing Genji as their fourth player. He wasn't all that practiced, but Jesse thought that his ambition was charming. Even if they lost more often than not.

The night Jesse realized he felt something...different for Hanzo was a usual scene for them. 

The five of them, each nursing a beer in Gabe's living room. They chatted amongst themselves. Played a couple of card games. Jesse had sat next to Hanzo, spreading out on the couch like he owned the damn thing. Hanzo had complained at first, but finally gave in with a roll of his eyes and an exasperated sigh. Jesse loved nothing more than to grind the other' gears until he got himself that annoyed response. It had certainly become one of his favorite pastimes. Something about the way Hanzo would shoot him a half smile right after that sigh just made his chest warm a bit. 

Genji had shown up a little later with a couple of blunts that he'd rolled himself, offering to pass them around the room. Jesse got it last, coughing like crazy. He'd smoked since he was thirteen, but had never had something so strong before. Amidst his coughing fit, he glanced up to see Hanzo laughing, the buzz of he alcohol and the weed certainly loosening him up. Jesse had never seen something as gorgeous as Hanzo laughing in his life. Sure, he tended to scrunch his whole face up and he had a little bit of a snort, but Jesse thought it was the most dam charming thing he'd ever seen. He liked to think that was when he truly fell for Hanzo, but in reality it was probably much sooner. 

Weeks later, after the urging of Genji, he asked Hanzo out on a date. He'd done the full cliche. A suit. Flowers. He'd slicked back his hair and left all traces of the flannel-wearing, pseudo cowboy at home for the evening. Hanzo's face when he'd opened the door was priceless. Jesse had burned the memory into his mind so he'd never forget..

" who are you and what have you done with Jesse Mcree?" Hanzo asked, chuckling faintly, that hint of a snort coming through just enough for Jesse to hear. 

" Like it? My mama used to say that a suit on a farmer was a refreshin' sight" Jesse chuckled, giving Hanzo a once-over as well. He'd dressed a little more casual, but Jesse figured it fit the bill for their plans a little better than a whole suit. 

"gotcha some flowers, too, but I'm startin' to wonder if that florist sold me some expensive weeds," he mused, handing Hanzo the half-dead bouquet. He may have sat on them a couple times by mistake, feeling jittery and nervous for his first date in a while. 

Hanzo murmured a thanks and shut the door behind himself, the two heading for Jesse's pickup. It wasn't in the best shape, but he believed it ran just fine. Hanzo made a quip about their 'luxurious ride', earning a whine that it ' ran just fine' from Jesse. He'd been worried that things would be different, but...their friendly banter had yet to go away. 

" You know..." Hanzo murmured as they drove to the restaurant, " I think I like the cowboy hat better...it has a way of making you look very....charming"

Jesse chuckled, reaching into the back and pulling what else but his hat from the back seat, " you really thought I'd leave this baby at home? What if I need to wrangle some cows or hop onto a horse and chase a runaway train?"

Hanzo laughed, that wonderful little laugh from before. It made Jesse beam the whole way to dinner, his cheeks starting to get sore by the time they arrived at a rather fancy steakhouse. He'd had to make a reservation and everything. 

Dinner had flown by. The two talked and laughed together. Hanzo shared embarrassing stories about Genji. He'd told some before, but now it seemed as if he had an endless supply. 

By the time they finished dinner, the two were going to have to rush to the theater to make it. Somewhere along the way Jesse rolled down the windows, letting soft country music spill into the warm summer night. Hanzo had stared out the window as they drove and when Jesse looked over, it was like something from a dream. Black hair whipping around his defined features, the last light of the day illuminating his face. Jesse had nearly had to stop the truck, he was so taken with the other's appearance. 

The movie was your run-of-the-mill horror movie. Jesse wasn't a big fan, but he figured he might get Hanzo to hold his hand or something. Unfortunately, Hanzo's stern face revealed nothing. It was hard to tell whether he was scared at all, actually. At some point, he unconsciously rested his hand on the arm rest the two shared. Their hands just barely brushed, but Jesse could have sworn he'd been electrocuted. He'd glanced at Hanzo, who was already staring at him. The screen illuminated their faces for a brief moment. They were both blushing like crazy. 

Jesse swallowed, his throat dry despite the huge drink in the cupholder next to him. They stared for a while, before Jesse slowly took Hanzo's hand fully in his own, shooting the other a nervous smile. He leaned over, just a bit, hoping to maybe...just maybe steal a kiss. 

Only to recoil when the screen before them suddenly screamed, Jesse squeezing Hanzo's hand in surprise. He'd never been much a fan of horror movies. 

The two had left the theater hand in hand. Jesse going on about the nightmares he was going to have while Hanzo just laughed and laughed. Jesse easily would have gone through the same thing over again for that reaction. 

Jesse walked Hanzo to his door that night, the two parting with a chaste, awkward kiss. His hands had hesitated just above Hanzo's hips, the male before him just staring up at him. There was a long moment of silence before Jesse slowly leaned forward, his hands finally resting on the other's hips to pull him a little closer. There lips were mere inches away, hot breaths on one another's cheeks. He was about to pull away when Hanzo leaned up and into him, one hand moving to press into the small of Jesse's back while the other cupped his cheek. The kiss was soft. That was the only way Jesse cold think to describe it. Soft and small and warm. Their noses had pressed together just so, Hanzo's thumb trailing along his cheekbone. And then it had been over. Hanzo pulled away, staring for a brief moment before murmuring a goodnight and heading inside. Jesse had stood there for several more minutes, face pink and hand trailing along the same path that Hanzo's had taken across his cheek.

To say it was an amazing kiss was an understatement. 

The two went on several more dates, each a little awkward at first, but almost always ending well. Jesse remembered the first time Hanzo had invited him in. He had been so nervous. Even with experience, Jesse didn't want to take the wrong step. How stupid he'd been. Their first time together was so much more than just sex. He could've cried with how gentle and amazing it all was. 

That night, he'd asked Hanzo to be his boyfriend. 

The two only seemed to get closer after that. they often spent time with their friends, shamelessly flirting in front of them. Even when meeting Genji's girlfriend Angela, they flirted with each other relentlessly, Genji chastising them both afterward for embarrassing him. Angela still showed up to their dinners and drinks, however so she must not have minded all that much. 

The two fought occasionally, as couples sometimes do. Stupid, petty things. They almost always made up. Almost. 

Jesse was never truly mad at Hanzo, but his insistence that they not move in together was a constant point of stress. He didn't think they were rushing, but Hanzo insisted. Jesse couldn't fathom why he wouldn't want them to live together and the thought that they'd have to 'wait and see', as Hanzo put it...it just broke his heart.

The two had been fighting about that very thing at one of their friendly gatherings when Hanzo had stormed out of the bar and headed home. Their friends slowly trickled out as well, leaving a half-drunk Jesse to continue by himself. 

He went home sometime in the early hours of the morning, nursing a hangover after passing out at the bar. Head aching and feelings still hurt, he'd returned home and plugged his dead phone in. The second he turned it back on, the missed calls and texts flooded the screen. Several of them were from Genji, the male tiredly scrolling to try and get an idea of what he could possibly want. 

Of course, the news of what had happened to Hanzo the night before cured him of his hangover quicker than any home remedy. The male left as soon as he'd come, still stinking of alcohol. There was an urgency this time, though, Jesse hurrying to the hospital that Genji had named in one of his texts. 

He'd rushed through traffic and nearly had a wreck, only to arrive and discover he was too late. There was no chance to apologize. No chance to tell Hanzo that he could wait. He could wait to move in. It didn't matter anymore. 

The funeral was short. It felt too short when Jesse stood up to say a few words and it felt even shorter when he was standing in the cemetery and listening numbly to the ramblings of some random priest. He knew Hanzo would have hated it. He seemed put off by big events, but Jesse knew he secretly loved things like that. If not for the people the for the decor and organization put into it. He remembered wondering to himself if they should have had a party instead, but he was certain Genji wouldn't have been able to take it. He wouldn't have either, he knew. 

Their friend group slowly dissipated soon after. It wasn't as if Hanzo was what had been holding them together, but Jesse was...different. He often declined the invited in favor of nursing a whiskey at home. He didn't want to game much anymore. He had to focus on work. He often stayed home and simply slept, trying not to think about what could have been. 

Even now, he was trying to simply remember what was. Jesse sat up and threw back another sip of whiskey, before relaxing back onto the couch and letting his mind wander to a time when he would have happily left his house. Who knew a memory could be so far away?


End file.
